1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of operating a roll stand arrangement which is composed of one or more roughing stands and a compact rolling group arranged downstream of the roughing stands and transversely offset relative to the roughing stands. The compact rolling group is connected to the roughing stands through roller conveyors and a transverse conveying unit. The compact rolling group is composed of a first and a second universal stand or two-high stands and an intermediate upsetting stand between the first and second stands. Preliminary sections arriving from a continuous casting plant are supplied directly or after intermediate storage to the roll stand arrangement.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a rule, roll stand arrangements of the above-described type are operated in such a way that the strand of rolling stock to be rolled in the roughing stands is deformed by rolling in the compact rolling group by carrying out an odd number of passes. It has also already been proposed to achieve an even number of passes through the compact rolling group by arranging the roughing stands relative to the continuous casting plant in such a way that the preliminary section is introduced into the roughing stands in a direction opposite the rolling direction and the strand is introduced with its rearward end first into the compact rolling grove.
Accordingly, in the compact rolling groups of the above-described type which include two universal stands, it is necessary, for four principal passes, to carry out two additional passes. On the other hand, if only one pass or two passes more than one pass are required, the compact rolling group is occupied for an unnecessary long time. In modern rolling mills of this type, the adjustment of the occupation of the compact rolling group to the output of the continuous casting plant producing the preliminary section of the rolling stock strand represents an essential factor with respect to the total output of the plant. This adjustment must be carried out in such a way that the output of the roll stand arrangement is always to a small extent greater than that of the continuous casting plant. This adjustment makes it possible in the total plant to avoid a cold intermediate storage between the continuous casting plant and the roll stand arrangement.